We won’t forget: How Hypable will cover Hollywood’s alleged abusers

All of us at Hypable have been disturbed by recent reports concerning one of Hollywood’s biggest producers, Harvey Weinstein. We strongly condemn his behavior and believe each and every woman who has spoken out about what he did to them.

Unfortunately, one of the sunniest cities in America is also the darkest: This is not new behavior in Hollywood. People are frequently taken advantage of because people in positions of power believe they can get away with it. This can’t be how Hollywood works. Abusers can’t get away with their actions because they hold keys to success, or have enough money to pay off their victims.

The stories (read this New York Times report and this New Yorker report) that have come out about Weinstein have caused us to seriously think about how we cover the entertainment business, and we’ve come to an editorial decision that best balances the need to report on fandom with the need to hold Hollywood accountable.

We can’t forget what people like Weinstein have done. We can’t let the studios sweep these stories under the rug. Forgetting is how these men get away with their behavior time and time again. So beginning immediately, Hypable will add a note to all articles about a film, TV show, book, etc. that employs an accused predator. We will include a link to a reputable report so you can educate yourself on what they’ve been accused of doing.

Here are a few people we will be reminding you about in every article that pertains to a film they’re tied to:

— Johnny Depp has been accused by his ex-wife Amber Heard and ex-associates of physically abusing the former. This will be noted in every article about Fantastic Beasts, Pirates of the Caribbean, and any other film that he’s associated with.

– Bryan Singerhas been accused of sexually abusing young men for decades. This will be noted in every article about his next film Bohemian Rhapsody, as well as X-Men, a franchise he has directed and continues to be a producer on.

– Woody Allen, who recently worked with Amazon on two projects, has been accused of sexual abusing his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow, amongst other allegations.

– Harvey Weinstein. If we cover any of his upcoming films that he’s produced, we will remind you about the women who spoke to The New York Times and The New Yorker. While he has been fired since the bombshell reports on his behavior, several of his business associates knew about his conduct and did nothing to stop it.

And the list goes on. We’ll inform you about other alleged predators, like Casey Affleck, when we cover their films. We’ll continue to internally discuss who to tell you about as new information comes to light.

The studios and their publicists are hoping you forget about the accusations so their projects aren’t negatively affected, but at Hypable, forgetting is over. We will not forget what these people did, or in some cases, still do. These people need to be removed from Hollywood.

“The predator wants your silence,” Viola Davis said in a statement to victims on Tuesday. The media can no longer grant them that benefit.

This morning, in honor of Hollywood’s survivors, Hypable made a $500 donation to Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay’s Joyful Heart Foundation, which “paves the way for innovative approaches to treating trauma, igniting shifts in the way the public responds to sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse, and advancing policies and legislation to ensure justice for survivors.”

We encourage other websites to take a similar editorial strategy, or rethink how they cover predators. Change needs to happen now — let’s do it.

We want to hear your thoughts on this topic! Why not write a comment below or submit an article to Hypable.